IATA warns of slowing air connectivity in Europe

The continent added a net 154 routes this year, bringing the total number of connections within Europe and with the rest of the world to 14,797. A total of 1,127 routes were canceled, while 1,281 were added, including 568 routes relaunched after being suspended for at least a year.

“The growth of airline route networks reflects both developments in demand and the operating environment. That the European Union’s air connectivity virtually flatlined in 2025 is no surprise,” said Thomas Reynaert, IATA’s Senior Vice President External Relations.

He noted that high costs, regulatory burdens and competitiveness challenges continue to hinder the aviation sector in the European Union.

“The flaws of the current regulation have been known but attempts to correct them appear to be doomed to just make them worse,” Reynaert said, referring to EU passenger protection rules.

According to IATA, aviation and aviation-related tourism support more than 9.2 million jobs and contribute EUR 760 billion to the EU’s GDP.

The association urged European policymakers to introduce reforms aimed at strengthening the sector, including revising EU261 passenger compensation rules, lowering sustainable aviation fuel costs, improving airport charge regulations, and eliminating national passenger taxes.

“The most immediate opportunity is on EU261,” Reynaert said. “One simple thing — reducing the cost of EU261 — would make the economics of many marginal routes more manageable for airlines, and re-invigorate air connectivity growth for the benefit of Europe’s citizens.”

Earlier, Qazinform International News Agency reported that a Paris appeals court found Air France and Airbus guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 crash of Air France Flight 447 crash, which killed all 228 people on board.